Roller



H. R. MOYER Feb. 2, 1937.

ROLLER Filed Sept. 20, 1955 lNVENTOR Howard R Mayer Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER Pennsylvania Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,409

7 Claims.

This invention relates to rollers and particularly to noiseless rollers.

In many applications, it is desirable to provide rollers which are noiseless in operation but strong enough for withstanding the wear encountered under working conditions. This is particularly true with respect to rollers employed as the step rollers in electric Stairways.

An object of this invention is to provide a noiseless roller.

Another object of this invention is to provide a noiseless roller that may be economically manufactured and which is durable.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a roller having a tread of non-metallic material united with a molded web.

Other and further objects of this invention will appear from reading the accompanying specification and claims in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan View, with part broken away, of a roller constructed in accordance with this invention, and

Fig. 2 is a View in section taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1.

In electric Stairways, the steps are moved over a plurality of rollers commonly called step rollers. For satisfactory operation of the Stairways, rollers that are silent when contacting the moving steps and durable are desired. In order to produce a noiseless roller, it is necessary to provide the roller with a tread that will not cause vibrations when the steps and rollers contact.

Referring to the drawing, a roller I is provided with a non-metallic tread I I. The tread is constructed from fibrous material, such as cloths of woven fabrics, paper or wood, etc., or nonfibrous material, such as leather or rawhide.

In order to provide a compact tread, a plurality of section-members 12 are cut, stamped or punched into the desired shape and size from the non-metallic material referred to hereinbefore. The section-members are compressed into the form of the tread by placing them in a suitable press and subjecting them to the required pressure.

In order to provide a mechanical interlock between the tread and web, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter, the section-members l2 are stamped of a shape to provide a tongue [3 on one side of the section-members and when a plurality of section-members are arranged and compressed to form a tread, the tongues l3 form an inwardly extending and continuous flange M.

A web I is provided for supporting the compacted tread II. The web l5 comprises a fibrous material impregnated with a phenolic, urea or other condensation resin product so molded under heat and pressure to the inner face of tread I I that it envelops the inwardly extending flange l4 and supports the tread. In enveloping the flange l4, the tread and web are mechanically interlocked for providing a strong joint therebetween.

In practice, the web I5 is molded to a hub l6 simultaneously with the molding of the web about the tread ll. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the outer surface II of the hub I6 is usually roughened for providing a surface to which the molding material of which the web is formed may be easily bonded. In place of the hub l6 shown in the drawing, a bearing or bearing sleeve may be molded in the center of the web 15.

In order to provide strength to the tread and to keep the edges of the section-members from fraying over the sides of the web when a heavy load is placed on the tread, the section-members l2 are disposed transversely to the periphery of the roller. Where extremely heavy loads are placed on the tread, a slight relative movement between the transverse and compacted sectionmembers may be noticed.

In order to reduce the chafing or frictional effect between the contacting surfaces of the compacted section-members where cloth or other fibrous materials are employed in the tread, a powdered solid lubricant such as talc, starch or pulverized graphite may be rolled into the fibrous material prior to stamping out the sectionmembers.

In a specific embodiment of this invention, the section-members l2 are stamped from cotton cloth, which has been previously filled with talc to reduce the friction between the contacting surfaces. The section-members l2 are arranged in an annular form and are compressed into the desired size of the tread with a continuous flange [3 formed on the inner side thereof. After the tread has been formed, it is placed in a suitable mold and a comminuted material impregnated with phenolic resin is applied thereto for forming the web 15. A hub or bearing sleeve I6 is so positioned in the mold that when heat and pressure are applied to the impregnated comminuted material, the web is formed enveloping the flange l4 and bonding with the roughened surface I! of the hub or bearing sleeve.

It is to be noticed that under the action of heat and pressure, the resin with which the comminuted material is impregnated flows and 'efiectively bonding the tread with the web.

- tread in making 'eration and is capable of withstandingheavy This action of the binder in penetrating the tread is "suificient for binding the tread to" the web where slight loads are to be applied-to the tinished roller, ;and it is; therefore, {evident that 'where the. roller is tobe employed with such slight loads that the flange -I 4 need not be formed the tread. However, itis: desirable 'to employ both the interlocking fiange and the'action of the binder in penetrating the inner'portion 'of the the joint between the tread and the web. 7 1, V 7

A roller produced in accordance withgtlifis'jln vention is cheap in manufacture-, -noiseless"in 'op-- 7 loads which may be encountered under working conditions.

' this invention has'been describedrwith,reierenee to step rollers'employed in electric stairways,'=it-" is also applicable for producing wheels, :tires or the like where it'is desired to eliminate noise in operation." a r 7 "Although this invention asibe n: daaiadtits I reference to 'aspecific embodimentthe'reof, s it is, of course, tobe understood that other and various modifications thereof are'possible. 'It is,

therefore; not to berejstricted exc'ept' insofaras 'is necessitated bythe prior art and thescope of the appended. claims. H V I claim as my inventions r 1. A:roller comprising in-combinationea plurality ofr section-members arranged in a circle to provide aetread, a tongue providedon each sec- Ition-member, the tongues being disposed to present an inwardly extending fiangej when-the section-members are arranged to form atread, a web of fibrous material impregnated-=with :a binder molded to the inner face of the tread enveloping nthexfiange, andrahub disposed in-the center of the web.

' 2." Airollercomprising incom-bination, a plu- 'rality of non-metallicsection-members arranged ina circle to provideatreadythef section-members'being disposedtransversely tothe periphery of the tread and-compressed intoa compact unit,

a web of fibrous material impregnated witha binder molded to the-innerrface of the itread, the binder penetrating theinnerportion of the tread fto unitethe tread. with the web," and ahub disposed in-the centerof the web; l

3. A roller comprising in combinatiorifa plu-. rality of non-metallicsection-members arranged 'in a circle to provide atread, .a tongue provided on each section-member, the tongues being dis- 7 V posed to present an inwardly extending flange,

when the sections-members are arranged, to form t a tread, aweb of fibrous material impregnated with a.-binder molded to. the inner face of the tread envelopingvthe flange, the binder penetrating the innerz: face of the non-metallic tread when the web is being: molded tomaintain the tread integral with the Web, and a hub disposed in the center of the web.

4. A roller comprising in combination, a plu rality oi non-metallic section-members arranged in a circle to provide a tread, a tongue provided 1 on each section-member, the section-members be ing so disposed transversely to the periphery of flange when the; tread is formed, a web of fibrous to gunite the tread with the web,-and

a hub disposed in the center of the web. a

-5. A roller-comprising in combination, a. plu-i jr'alit'y of sectiommembers of fibrous material arranged in a circle to provide a tread, a powdered V 7 solid lubricant disposed for filling the fibrous It is to beunderstood thatalthougha i material impregnated with a binder molded to the inner face of the treadenveloping the flange, the,

'i'nder penetrating the innereportion of the tread 7 material: to reduce chafing between the section members, ,a tongue provided on feach section member, the 'section-membersbeing so disposed present an inwardly extending flange rwhen the tread-is formecha web of fibrous material impreg-t nated witl' a binder molded to the inner 'face' of v the tread enveloping the flange; the binder penetrating the inner portion of the tread to unite .theg treadwithithe weba wand'fa hub disposed in e i the center of the web. 7 V I V 1 64A roller comprising in:cornbination, a plurality-of:section-members of fibrous material arranged-in a circle to provide a tread, a lubricant consistingofrtalc disposed for filling thefibrous 1 materialtorreduce chafing between the sectionmembers, a tongue provided-on each section-- member,;the section-members'b'eingso disposed transversely to the periphery of the tread and so 1 compres'sed into a; compact unit 'in' forming the tread that the tongues of- -the section-members present an inwardly extending continuous flange when the tread is formed; a web of fibrous material impregnated with a binder molded to' the q inner face of the tread enveloping the flange;

the binder penetrating the inner portion of the 7,.

tread to unite the tread with the web, and a hub disposed in-the center of the'web.

7. A roller comprising in combination, a plu,"

rality of section-members of fibrous material ar-' rangedin a circle to provideatread, a lubricant" 1. 7

consisting of talc disposed for filling the fibrous material to reduce chafing between the sectionmembers; a tongue provided on eachvsectionmember, the section-members being so disposed transversely to the periphery of the tread and so compressed into a compact unit in forming the tread that the tongues of the section-members present an-iinwardly extending continuous flange whenv the tread is formed, a web of comminuted' material impregnated with abinder molded to the binder penetrating ,therinner portion of the tread to unite the tread with the web, and a, hub

e disposed in the center of the web.

- HOWARD R. MOYER 60 V the inner face of the tread enveloping the flange, 

